1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for producing an electrical connection between a plug element and a printed circuit board. A plug end of the at least one plug element is inserted in an opening extending through the printed circuit board. A solder, preferably in the form of solder paste, is applied essentially from above to at least parts of the opening or the area surrounding the opening. The connection between the board and the plug end is achieved by melting the solder.
2. Description of the Background Art
A method of the aforementioned type is known from the European unexamined application EP 0 735 808 A1. In the method described therein, solder paste is printed from above onto the throughopening or additionally onto the area surrounding the opening. After that, a connector strip with plug elements is placed on the printed circuit board from above such that each of the plug ends pushes on the printed-on solder paste and presses it into the opening. During this pressing-in process, moreover, the plug end is also introduced into the opening so that ultimately, the plug end is surrounded in the opening by the solder paste. Contact can then be made with the plug end through the solder paste by means of a melting process.
It has proven to be disadvantageous here that additional protective measures must be taken to prevent solder paste from being pushed downward out of the opening by the plug end. In particular, the lower end of the opening must be sealed with solder resist prior to the printing and pressing in of the solder paste. This is, firstly, quite costly to implement for a large number of openings. Secondly, there exists the possibility that despite the solder resist, the pressure produced by pressing in the plug end is so great that the solder resist cracks off explosively, causing the solder paste to come out the bottom of the opening.